


Second Impressions

by EHyde



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 20:10:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4759406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHyde/pseuds/EHyde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While training Su-won in the art of the sword, General Ju-doh realizes something about the young lord's character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Impressions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sorasan0000](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sorasan0000/gifts).



“Congratulations, General Ju-doh! You finally beat Lord Geun-tae.”

The young Lord Su-won’s face was brimming with excitement as he approached Ju-doh after the tournament’s close, but Ju-doh only scowled at him. “And you didn’t compete at all,” he countered.

“Come, now, Ju-doh, you know I don’t have the sort of skills that win tournaments,” Su-won said.

“That’s not the point.” Four years ago the young lord, only eleven years old, had come to Ju-doh to ask the Sky Tribe’s general to teach him swordsmanship. Ju-doh had agreed—perhaps against his better judgment, as his only prior experience with the boy had been exasperatedly hunting him down when he ran off into the city. But when Ju-doh ascended to his position as general, that had become someone else's problem, and at that point, it had been two years since he'd had much contact with the boy. Training Lord Yu-hon's son had been enticing, but it quickly became apparent that Su-won had inherited none of his late father's raw talent for martial combat. When he said he couldn't win, he was almost certainly correct. "Not everyone can win a martial arts tournament at fifteen." Not everyone was the young Thunder Beast, for example. But still, raw talent wasn't everything.

"Of course not," Su-won agreed with a ready smile. "It's just, competitions like this don't particularly interest me."

And that was just it, wasn't it? Some might call it laziness—Geun-tae, who knew that Ju-doh was training the young lord, _did_ call it laziness—but it wasn't. Su-won was diligent in his lessons, quickly learning what he was taught, but he never seemed to push himself to go further. _Is he that lacking in ambition?_ But if that were the case, why train at all? Ju-doh simply didn't understand the boy. "Tournaments aren't just about competition and winning. They're a way to gauge your skills against your peers."

"But that goes both ways. Besides, I have you for that."

 _Both ways?_ Ju-doh narrowed his eyes. "Draw your sword," he said. What the young lord said ... sounded suspiciously like he _wanted_ to hide his skill.

"Now?" Su-won asked, eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't bring a weapon as a spectator, Ju-doh."

"Use one of mine. And we won't have an audience here in the practice area." Ju-doh unsheathed one of his twin blades, handing it by the hilt to Su-won, then proceeded to draw his own.

"I don't think this is the best time for—"

"Think of this as your own private tournament. Gauge your skill. And," he added, "consider it a condition of your continued training." Su-won paused, then nodded. Ju-doh raised his blade. "On guard."

Su-won's moves were defensive, and predictable. Ju-doh pushed harder. "This is just a spar, isn't it? You're taking this pretty seriously!"

"Of course I am," said Ju-doh. "It's a tournament. I'm doing everything in my power to win. Why aren't you?" He feinted a cut to Su-won's right, then swung for the left. Su-won parried the blow, ignoring the feint completely, and Ju-doh nodded. As he'd thought. He made his attacks faster, and Su-won narrowed his eyes, and something... shifted. Su-won's movements weren't flashy, but they were quick and effective. His blade was always exactly where it needed to be. _He didn't learn this from me._ Still, he was fighting defensively, and he'd have to change tactics if he wanted to win. He knew it, too, and—that attack was wide, and a simple matter to block—until the young lord's left hand slammed down against his wrist. _That was damn close to a disarm._ But not close enough, and he wasn't fast enough on the recovery to block the returning thrust of Ju-doh's blade.

"I yield." At that, Ju-doh lowered his blade. "See? I still can't beat you."

"Don't play dumb." _Su-won lost._ Ju-doh knew his own skill, knew he’d beaten the young lord fairly. _So why does it feel like he let me win?_ No, it wasn’t that. _He let me see something._ Su-won could have displayed the same skills he’d shown in every training session, using only the moves Ju-doh had taught him, and Ju-doh would have been none the wiser. But Ju-doh had asked—demanded—to see more, and Su-won had shown him—a little. "I didn't teach you that move. It looked like something you picked up from a back-alley knife fighter." _And it might be exactly that,_ he thought, remembering the younger Su-won's excursions.

Su-won shrugged. "Well, it didn't work."

"Because it was the first time you tried it against a real opponent," Ju-doh surmised, and Su-won nodded. _This isn't someone who lacks ambition. This is someone who knows exactly what he wants to accomplish._ And yet, it seemed that he kept those plans from even those he was closest to. “You shouldn’t keep secrets from your sword master,” Ju-doh said. “If I don’t know your goals, I can’t help you achieve them.”

Su-won nodded. “Thank you, General Ju-doh,” he said. “I’ll remember that."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm [fallenwithstyle](http://fallenwithstyle.tumblr.com) on tumblr if you'd like to come say hi!


End file.
